-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The final two teams left standing at Euro 2012 should come as no surprise , and nor should another painful exit for perennial underachievers England .

A heart-breaking defeat on penalties in their quarterfinal was preceded by 120 minutes which saw the style of finalists Italy overwhelm English pragmatism and conquer their heart-on-sleeve spirit .

So why does England continue to employ this bulldog style ?

And why ca n't the country who gave birth to the game reinvent itself like the all-conquering Spain team , who will be gunning for a third consecutive major title against Italy in Kiev on Sunday , or the dynamic Germans , young pretenders who fell at the semifinal stage ?

The answer , according to two respected authors , is history , and how the nation 's deep-rooted view of masculinity has molded its soccer style . Until that changes , this relentless cycle of disappointment will continue .

David Winner , who wrote `` Brilliant Orange , '' a study of how Dutch culture and psyche contributed to the influence their football visionaries have had on the game , argues England 's approach to football has not changed for over half a century .

`` The English were very true to their strengths and weaknesses at Euro 2012 , '' Winner told CNN . `` They 've been losing in that way for 60 years .

`` Every time it comes as surprise when English heart , commitment and valor and all these old Victorian values come unstuck against much more skilful opponents . ''

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The breeding ground for this English style of football has its roots in the boisterous games of the medieval period , Winner argues , and the intrinsic love for `` testosterone festivals '' like rugby , which was invented around the same time as soccer .

For him , the attritional modus operandi showcased by England during Sunday 's morale-sapping defeat to a far more fluent Italy side shows the national game is still weighed down by this regressive approach .

`` The game is profoundly rooted in old English stuff and we never lost that , '' he adds . `` We love the battlers like -LRB- former England players -RRB- Terry Butcher , Stuart Pearce and Tony Adams . ''

`` The idea the game is all about skill and you express your manliness not by fighting but by your skill in being able to do very delicate things -- that affronts something deep in the English male psyche and I do n't see any change to it . ''

Winner 's view is shared by Simon Kuper , journalist and co-author of `` Soccernomics , '' a book about football 's truths , who subscribes to the view that England 's methodology was spawned from a notion that the soldier was society 's greatest role model .

This then infiltrated the nation 's best-loved game , reinforcing the idea of a `` warrior '' culture , when grit and determination were valued over technical skill . The stats from Euro 2012 back this theory up , with England blocking more shots on goal and putting in more tackles than any other nation upon their exit .

`` In northern Europe , in general , we tend to value discipline and sticking to your task highly , '' said Kuper . `` The collective discipline is important and England and Germany are examples of that . We live in countries where that is valued . You do n't lose yourself in personal creativity , you do your job .

`` The model for the British man is the soldier , maybe even still is . The tabloids talk about our players as soldiers , so the values that are very highly praised in English football are bravery , passion , obedience , hard work and you do n't tend to hear that much talk about creativity and inspiration , which are not soldierly virtues . ''

But it is n't all gloom and doom for England . Hope can be extracted from two titans of Europe , Spain and Germany , both of whom radically revamped their approach to the game in the last 15 years .

For decades , Spain were one of soccer 's greatest underachievers , entrenched in a style that emerged from what General Franco termed `` La Furia EspaÃ ± ola , '' or the Spanish fury . Like England , Spain 's values were immersed in hard work and fight .

Time and time again Spain promised much but failed to deliver on the biggest stage . It was not until after the turn of the century their traditional tactics were abandoned , and a new style executed by a generation of emerging players started to yield unprecedented results .

Winner insists the revolution was brought about by Spanish giants Barcelona , and their modern interpretation on the Netherlands teams of the 1970s , led by Johan Cruyff , who were said to play `` total football . ''

During his stint as manager of Barcelona , Cruyff 's doctrine permeated the club , and he played a key role in the establishment of its `` La Masia '' youth academy that has produced so many gifted players that now make up the backbone for the national team .

`` Look at how the Spanish used to play and the way they play now , '' Winner explains . `` There 's almost no point of contact between the two styles . ''

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Germany have also undergone a relatively recent transformation , shedding their traditional , battling , hardworking approach after poor returns at the 1998 World Cup in France and the European Championships two years later .

Their past triumphs in both competitions -- Germany can boast three titles in each tournament -- were conducted in a manner far removed from the way the current side operate , with skilful and exciting players like Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller at their forefront .

German football expert Raphael Honigstein told CNN an insistence on better technical development for young players , instigated in the late 1990s and early 2000s as a result of an under-performing national side , are now starting to pay dividends .

`` Those changes are apparent now -- this is the first generation to benefit , '' he said . `` If you have those technical players at your disposal then that will affect they way you play .

`` There was a realization that the Bundesliga 's power and success saw an increase in foreigners and that young German players were n't coming through . One of the reasons they identified was the coaching was n't up to scratch anymore .

`` They invested lots of money into coaching and youth development and they produced better players . As a result better all-round players were being produced . They gave someone like coach Joachim Low many more options . ''

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England 's quarterfinal defeat has prompted a familiar round of introspection as journalists , pundits , players and managers put forward their blueprint for a bright new future .

Yet the national team 's malaise is at odds with the global success enjoyed by its domestic competition .

The English Premier League is regularly described as the best , most exciting league in the world , borne out by the record amounts of money broadcasters pay to televise it . The next slab of TV rights in the UK was recently sold for Â # 3 billion .

But would the Premier League punters welcome a move away from traditional values , which often provide open and frenetic matches , if it meant England were able to re-establish themselves as an international force ?

`` People would like England to be a winning team but they are n't willing to go through the changes to make it possible , '' Winner added .

`` If English clubs team were good enough to play the way Spain do -- get a one goal lead and close it out by keeping the ball -- no club crowd would tolerate that for more than 20 minutes . They 'd scream ` Get it upfield . '

`` We 'd find that boring and the crowds would stay away , and they 'd also find it unmanly . ''

There are changes afoot though . The English Football Association told CNN its new National Football Center , which will act as a development hub for young players and coaches , is due to be handed over next week .

Prior to England 's humiliating 4-1 defeat to Germany in the second round of the 2010 World Cup , the FA embarked on a process to develop a new philosophy for how the national game should be played , and it has subsequently made changes to the way youngsters are coached .

Andy Hilton , a development officer at the coalface of grassroots football in Manchester , says coaching methods and the attitude of parents who would perpetuate the `` win at all costs mentality '' are also starting to change .

He and his colleagues are trying to mesh the traditional English `` warrior '' style with the more cultured flavor of Spain and Germany , in order to produce players who are comfortable in any type of match situation .

`` With the older age groups of 15 and over , the English ` warrior ' is still the dominant football force . Players love street football moves to beat and humiliate an opponent but the game is high tempo , high octane power and speed with an edge of violence , '' Hilton said .

`` Conversely with the younger players many coaches are concentrating on manipulating the ball , being comfortable with it , and not being afraid to dribble or pass it when the situation dictates .

`` I suppose the question is how do we keep the tiki-taka with young adulthood from childhood ? Testosterone , body changes and finding their niche in society forces players to conform to the warrior or look lesser in others ' eyes . ''

Both Winner and Kuper agree that England needs a new model , and beginning with a detailed look at how Spain and Germany transformed their fortunes would be a productive starting point .

In the meantime , until any of these changes take hold , perhaps the best thing for English fans to do is lower expectations and prepare for an immediate future laden with modest returns .

`` The future is only bleak in terms of winning tournaments -- England are not going to do that , '' said Winner .

`` But they 'll bring the nation some pleasure and get out of their group most years . They qualify for tournaments almost always .

`` We have to change our expectations as a nation , stop having this post-imperial sense that we are entitled to win because we invented the game , and be a bit realistic . ''

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Perennial underachievers England last won a major international tournament in 1966

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Journalists , pundits , players and managers put forward their blueprint for a bright new future

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England blocked the most shots on goal and made the most tackles while at Euro 2012

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Over the last decade both Spain and Germany have reinvented the way their national teams play